 The very name Udupi
evokes thoughts of two different kinds of food. One is inspired by the enterprising Rayars
who have spread everywhere and established the hotel business in the South - especially in
Tamil Nadu and very particularly in the city of Chennai. Food for sustenance. Food for
existence. The other one is none other than Lord Sri Krishna the very nectar of life and
is the food for soul.
Udupi is situated 58 km. north of
Mangalore, in South Kanara, Karnataka. This temple was established by Madhvacharya
himself, the propounder of the Dwaita - duality - philosophy. Some say that he was born in
1238 AD and others place in a still distant past, in 1199 AD. And therefore, one can very
safely say that the Udupi Sri Krishna temple is around 1000 years old, which is another
gem in the rich culture and heritage of the country from the ancient times.
Udupi is also known as Raupya-pitham. The
region from Nasik to Kanyakumari is known as Parasurama-kshetra
and is believed to have been reclaimed from the sea by Parashurama, the avatar of the Lord
in which he wiped off the Kshatriya race for 21 generations. After giving off all the land
that he had won to sage Kashyapa, he is believed to have recovered this piece of land for
him to live in.
The name 'Udupi' has its origin -
according to one version - in 'Udupa' or moon. (Udu: Stars and pa: Lord). It is stated
that it was here in the Chandramaulishwara temple in Udupi that Chandra performed penance
by the side of the lake Chandra Pushkarani, when he was cursed by Dhaksha, his
father-in-law. Some others opine that it has its origin in the Sanskrit 'udupam' - a boat
- in which Krishna came from Dwaraka.
He came by boat
 The image of Krishna
which is made of Saligrama is believed to have been worshipped by Rukmini in Dwaraka.
After Dwaraka was submerged in the ocean, the icon which was in due course covered with
Gopi-chandana and had the appearance of a heavy rock. A sailor who needed a piece of rock
to be used as a ballast for his boat and he, having found the image of the Lord, used it
for that purpose when he left from Dwaraka on his way to Udupi. When the boat reached
Vada-bhandeswara - or oDa-bhaaNDiishvara - there was a storm and the boat was struggling
in the waters. Sri Madhvacharya, who happened to be there in the sea-shore, waved a piece
of cloth at the boat, seeing that it is in danger. By some miracle the storm abated and
the boat was saved.
The sailor believed that it was due to
the greatness of the saint that the boat was saved and he wanted to gift him anything that
he had. Madhvacharya was delighted at the mass of Gopi-chandana in the boat and he
accepted it from the sailor as a gift. And imagine the joy that would have surged in his
heart when he found that the Gopi-chandana mass that he had was in fact the image of his
Lord! He who ferries the souls across the ocean of births and deaths was ferried to this
land in a boat! He installed the Lord, Bala Krishna, in an appropriate temple structure.
The Lord, in His child form, holds the
churning rod in one hand and a rope in the other and is a delight to the devotee.
 The Lord is worshipped fourteen times in a day,
beginning 4.00 a.m. in the morning. The first puja, nirmaalya
visarjana puja, is performed early in the morning. And by noon, ten different pujas
are conducted - usha kaala puja, akshya patra go puja, panchamirta
abhisheka puja, udvartana puja, kalasha puja, tIrtha puja, alankara puja, avasara sanakadi
puja and maha puja. The other four pujas - chamara sevaa
puja, raatri puja, mantapa puja and shayanotsava puja - are offered in the evening
till night.
Krishna in his child form is a delight to
the heart of all devotees and is worshipped throughout the country from the Northern end
to the Southern tip, Puri, Guruvayur, Suchindram, Udupi, to cite a few. The photograph
shows the image of Krishna in Udupi is decorated as Satyabama and as the charioteer of
Arjuna. |
